Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Audio: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

By: Intisar Khanani

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Series: Sunbolt Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins

Release date: 01-30-24

Publisher: Tantor Audio

YA Fantasy / to review

Hitomi is a thief. She is nice, and does her best to survive. She is also a part of a organization trying to help since the island is going to hell. They got one of those evil mages, you know how it is. Drama, wickedness, revolution is coming...or not.

We do not get that much of the world. Hitomis worldview is narrow, the city, best places to hide from soldiers, best places to hide from anyone. I would like to learn more though, cos there are other lands, the whole mage thing and so on. Oh and a map, I love those. But this was an audiobook after all.

In the story some people needs protection . Things go badly. And a twist too that I did not expect.

And then even more things happen and Hitomi does not have it easy at all.

BUT, it does not end with a cliffie, the ending is one of those all good for now, but soon you are in trouble again. One of those look the sky is blue, we are happy, but oh oh, you missed those dark clouds at the horizon......I look forward to getting more from this story.

Good narration, but then I always enjoy her narrations. She has a great voice, and she is wonderful when it comes to fantasy. She really gets the characters and the overall feel of the story.

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi's, and much worse fates than execution. Betrayed and captured along with her charges, it will take everything Hitomi can summon to save them—and herself.

Tuesday 27 February 2024

TMST

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

2/27/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (Mar-May)

Oh no, this question! No idea what is coming out, but what I do know is that my TBR pile is GROWING

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. Participation is optional and never required.

Monday 26 February 2024

Carole´s Monday: The Governess Game

Author: Tessa Dare

Narrator: Mary Jane Wells

Title: The Governess Game

Series: Girl Meets Duke #2

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 28, 2018

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary:

He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson

The accidental governess.

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart... without risking her own.

The infamous rake.

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling... and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

Review:

I needed some Dare in my life!!

Chase has become the heir to a Dukedom after many tragedies. Along with that....two young girls become his wards and they need a governess. He wants no attachments so he needs to get them trained up and sent to a school as soon as possible. Enter in Alex. She accepts the role after her livelihood literally slips through her fingers. She is tasked with the near impossible to transform two unruly girls and ignore her feelings for Chase.

Why is Dare so dang good? There is romance and some darkness, but there is comedy too. She did such a great job with balancing everything.

I also love that you don't HAVE to read in order. However, I do recommend book 1 first because the couple does show up here and it makes it more special knowing the past. But again...it would do fine as a standalone.

Alex, Chase, and the girls have their sad pasts but they need each other. I loved this.

The girls were great.

Alex was great.

Chase was great even though I was SO mad at him at one part. GRR! Alex should've made him sweat some more.

Always a blast. I can't wait to read book 3.

OOO. The narrator was fantastic. Perfect voices for everyone.

All-in-all, this was a joy. I needed a nice HR. 5 stars from me.

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #11

- Romance Reading Challenge #7 (borrowed from library)

Friday 23 February 2024

The wind in the willows

Format: 192 pages, Paperback

This version.Published: January 1, 1993 by Wordsworth Editions

Historical fiction / own

I am a horrible evil classics reviewer. But it was just so boring. I was sadly not in the mood for fun animals beings friends and all of that.

Also my mind went dark. Too early for that considering when it was written but I imagined a atombom wiping out most of the world, and animals got as big as humans and lived their lives apart. But still around. ...no?

Far from fading with time, Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of fantasy has attracted a growing audience in each generation. Rat, Mole, Badger, and the preposterous Mr. Toad (with his 'Poop-poop-poop' road hogging new motor-car), have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and at the imposing residence of Toad Hall.

Grahame's book was later dramatised by A.A. Milne, and became a perennial Christmas favourite, as Toad of Toad Hall. It continues to enchant and, above all perhaps, inspire great affection.

Wednesday 21 February 2024

Reaping demons by Eve Langlais

By: Eve Langlais

Narrated by: Tieran Wilder

Series: Scythe and Souls, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Release date: 02-22-24

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Urban fantasy/to review

Yes I listened to yet another Eve Langlais book. They are always fun, and different from each other.

Sadie is 40+. Yes, an older heroine! She doesn´t have any friends anymore, just her work. No man. And then suddenly she sees freaky demons, and what the heck. What is going on?! I liked that she hid, I mean who wouldn´t! She says she is a coward, she says she can´t fight, and she is right. She is real. It will not be easy.

So Sadie can see demons. They are real. There is a weird guy with a scythe killing demons. She seems to have magic, and she needs to learn to handle it.

People are really dying left and right in this one. These are some freaky demons. Creepy and small, and deadly.

It ends sort of well. I mean all hell is about to break loose, but that is for another day.

Actionfilled, and maybe maybe some romance lurking...or at least passion? Who knows about the future.

Good narration. She kept a good pace and did action and other parts well. She also got the feel of Sadie and I felt i was there with them

Turns out there are monsters in the world. Why couldn't my midlife crisis involve a new hairstyle? I went from ordinary working gal to demon killer. Sounds exciting? Not really, seeing as how I got fired from my job, my apartment was trashed, and the cops think I'm involved in something shady.

Especially that cute detective who keeps questioning me . . .

Pity there's no time to flirt, what with all the demons that keep emerging from sewer grates and subway tunnels. Something has to be done before they overrun the city. If only that something didn't involve me!

I never asked to be a heroine, but apparently, I've been chosen and now I must reap what fate has bestowed before chaos is sown.

Tuesday 20 February 2024

TMST

2/20/2024 What is your favorite type of candy?

I am as Nordic as one can be. My answer is licorice and salty licorice. Obviously I LOVE chocolate too, I mean who does not. But for me chocolate is in a league of its own. And therefore my fav candy is licorice.

2/27/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (Mar-May)

Monday 19 February 2024

Carole´s Monday: The girl who lied

Author: Shannon Hollinger

Narrator: Amelia Sciandra

Title: The Girl Who Lied

Series: Chief Maggie Riley #1

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 2, 2023

Where I got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary:

Rain hammers the earth and a vicious wind rattles the trees. Then lightning strikes, the flash illuminating a young girl staggering out of the woods, her brown eyes wide with fright, a silent scream on her lips…

There’s a storm approaching the tiny Maine town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley comes across the body of a man, blood seeping from stab wounds into the damp forest floor. As she desperately struggles to secure the evidence before the rain hits, Heather , a local teenage girl, emerges from the woods, shivering and unable to talk.

Maggie, once a high flying big-city detective, lost everything when her four-year-old brother went missing five years ago. Heart-broken, she’s never stopped searching for but now she is plunged back into the world she left behind.

The victim, Maggie discovers, knew secrets about everyone in isolated Coyote Cove. It seems there are more local suspects in this case than people she can rule out. And with Heather still traumatised, Maggie struggles to unravel her strange appearance at the crime scene. Until, following a faint, bloody trail deep into the forest, she’s horrified to unearth what the terrified girl’s been hiding…

But when Heather is kidnapped, the battle to identify the killer becomes a race to save an innocent girl’s life. And with the whole town terrified, Maggie is shocked to uncover that this twisted killer is much closer to home than she’d ever imagined. Battling her own demons and memories of her missing brother, how far will Maggie have to go to save Heather? Or will another innocent young life be lost forever...?

Review:

Didn't realize I was selected to read this book in Netgalley. Strange...normally I get an email but I missed the boat so I wasn't able to download it. Since I was still strongly interested in this, I used my audible free credit to download it there.

Here we follow Maggie who is the Chief of police in this small town. She wanted and needed to get away from her old life so this was the perfect town to slip away to. She has secrets and wants to keep them buried. Turns out she isn't the only one in this small town who has secrets. When Maggie discovers a dead body on the side of the road, she soon finds out there are more local suspects in this case than people she can completely rule out. And when Heather stumbles out of the woods during the discovery of the body and is traumatized, things get even more complex.

This had a lot of twists and turns and a lot of players on the board.

We have multiple POVs here. We follow Maggie for the majority of the time, but we also get to see Heather's, Murphy's, and Steve's POV. Lots of characters running amuck, but the author did a good job keeping it clean and easy to follow along.

Dang...so many secrets. So many lies. I feel like this town would not be a fun and cute small town to live in. Everyone seems.......off. Creepy in some ways. Some are endearing like the lady that owns the motel but from what we have seen so far.....I don't trust any of them including our two big mains: Maggie and Steve. Don't get me wrong I do like those two, but they have a lot of secrets and have been lying to everyone....including each other.

The ending wasn't shocking for me because that character was SUPER sus the whole time. I had my doubts of course, but yeah.............that was the only way that made any logical sense for me. Nice though with the red herrings and all the seeds of doubt. Nice try author ;)

Sometimes the inner monologues seemed to drag on and on.

I also thought some of the drama with Murphy was a little........much.

The narrator was pleasant enough. Nice variations of voices. Her voice for Heather was a hair grating for me and she made her sound too young. Everyone else worked.

All-in-all, I did like this in the end. Some nice twists and a creepy, small town with loads of secrets hidden everywhere. Pretty good narration. Some OTT parts, but overall an interesting ride with an intense ending. I'll stamp this with 3 stars. I would be interested in book 2!

Challenge(s):
- Audiobook #10

- Cloak and Dagger - #5

Thursday 15 February 2024

TMST where I forgot about Tuesday

2/13/2024 Share your romance (HEA/HFN) recommendations.

Go get them! :D

2/20/2024 What is your favorite type of candy?

2/27/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (Mar-May)

Wednesday 14 February 2024

Audio: Murder in the mews by Agatha Christie

Murder in the Mews

A Hercule Poirot Short Story

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: Nigel Hawthorne

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Release date: 11-11-21

From storytel.fi/Historical fiction crime

It was short. I had 2 hours left of my Book site subscription and short ones are hard to find so I went with Agatha Christie.

I do seem to prefer the Miss Marple shorts than Poirot. She is clever in another way.

Not much to say, it was a short one. A woman took her own life or did she? And if not then who did?

Good narration

Inspector Japp summons Poirot to a London house where Guy Fawkes Night fireworks appear to have drowned out the noise of a young widow shooting herself through her left temple. But the pistol is in her right hand, and the police are convinced that this must be a case of murder....

Monday 12 February 2024

Carole´s Monday: A haunting in Venice

Title: A Haunting in Venice

Length: 1h 48m

Released: 2023

Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Hulu

SUMMARY:

In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Trailer

REVIEW:

Oooo! Another Poirot!! I hope they keep making more.

It is post-WWII. Poirot is now retired and hiding in Venice. He is forced, to help a friend, by attending a séance to try and debunk this Medium. When one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to uncover the killer.

Gotta love Poirot! He is a gem. An arrogant gem, but he has really earned to not be humble. However, this case will be one of his toughest. Is the haunting real? Who did the murders? There is a lot on his plate and he is not doing okay.

What a freakin' amazing cast. This series has done an amazing job of getting some pretty good folks to join.

Ooo this was spooky and intense. I loved it!!!! Even if there isn't a ghost, that house is creepy AF. *shutters*

The big reveal was good. I had zero idea. I thought I did and I was partially right but the big reveal...damn. You got me there.

I think what I love about these movies is that you can truly watch them in any order. Sure it is better to watch in order, but you can totally get away with watching them out of order. I do suggest maybe watching #2 before this one, but it's fine. It works!

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this. This would've been amazing to see on the big screen. Damn. 5 stars. Intense, spooky, and fun.

Saturday 10 February 2024

Audio: Dating the Duke by Emma Hart

By: Emma Hart

Narrated by: Will Watt, Shakira Shute

Series: Aristocrat Diaries, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Release date: 05-10-22

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Contemporary romance/From storytel.fi

I tried this one after my first Emma Hart book, but I did not feel like this one was as good. It was still good, but not as funny or cute. The romance was lacking somehow.

Adelaide is tutoring the daughter of a Duke. But then Adelaide moves in the same circles so she know Alexander.

I felt the book was more about her becoming a part of the family. How she and Olympia, the kid, forms a bond. I wanted more of the crochet circle cos they sounded fun. Alexander´s mum´s antics. More Alexander. I think the problem was in a way that it was Hers and His parts and for me it did not hit me as it should have.

From the blurb I thought one thing, but it was not like that at all to be honest.

Still it was good. I do wonder is it her sister´s book next? It sounds interesting if so. But I wanted the laughs of the one I read first.

Sighs, this sounds bad! It was good! I just wanted the laughs from that other one.

I liked the female narrator, the male was good too, but...dunno, something. Not as good

My name is Adelaide Astley, and if there was anything remotely exciting about me to tell you, I would. Sure, my uncle is the Duke of Leicester, and my mother bucked family tradition to marry “below” her and open a hotel, but I’m nothing but an aspiring author with a Tudor era obsession. Oh, and I’m spending the summer tutoring the daughter of the current Duke of Worcester—who happens to be a regular in my highly inappropriate midnight dreams.

Thirty-year-old Alexander Winthrop-Bentley is so not my type, but hours of chess games and arguments over Tudor dynasties mean we’re thrown together more often than we should be. And when he shares with me that he needs a date for a charitable event, my mouth betrays me by offering myself up for the evening.

How I find myself naked in the library is another matter entirely. Ahem.

When the society papers declare us an item, neither of us have the heart to tell our families the truth. Only my twin sister and best friend know the truth, but they both agree we need to keep up the charade, even if only for the summer. But when the end of August comes and my return home beckons, I have to ask myself a question: Is it only his daughter who’s stolen my heart, or has Alexander done the very same thing?

Wednesday 7 February 2024

Discussion: System Collapse

Hello all! We will be discussing "System Collapse" by Martha Wells. Blodeuedd is in red and Carole is in blue.

Author: Martha Wells

Narrator: Kevin R. Free

Title: System Collapse

Series: The Murderbot Diaries #7

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy
Published: November 13, 2023

Pages: 245

Summary:

Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.

Discussion:

I am here and ready to [redacted]. ;)

Let´s get started. Murderbot time.

Yayy! I’m glad we decided to give Murderbot another chance. I know there were a couple of meh ones.

For me they were so hard to get, so I seemed to have given up. But I did audio now and caught up with book 6 so we could get to 7. And I do like Murderbot. Though to be honest I preferred the 6 novella over this one.

LOL I thought I had read 6 but certainly didn’t. I went back and had to re-read that too. Honestly….I feel the novellas are better. 6 was so much better. Don’t get me wrong…I did enjoy 7, but not as much as the last one.

Yes, i feel that Murderbot works better in smaller versions. Because there we get more Murderbot. But in the longer ones there are more people and I am meh about the rest of the gang

Yeaah. I’m actually starting to like the human part of the gangs a lil bit BUT I do love seeing just Murderbot and ART.

I do care more about the non-humans. The rest are good, but they are just there.

I do fear they will betray Murderbot eventually or ART….because they are JUST bots. And I’m sure they may feel justified because it will save a fellow human. I am worried. Hopefully, I’m wrong and they do care about Murderbot and ART………..

Nooo, do not say that. That would be so sad :/

I hope I’m wrong but I have a bad feeling. LOL. I just want Murderbot and ART to be happy and be useful forever.

They def need to be happy. I could be fine with Murderbot solving crimes, oh like a TV show, lol. Murderbot does love shows. And around people who are not all judgey. Stupid humans. But then again who would not be afraid.

That would be cute!! Which I just love the fact he loves our entertainment. He’s so adorable.

But the book itself then? I liked it, but I had a hard time focus for some reason this time.

It did take a long time and a lot of build up. The first half I struggled but things got better around the halfway mark. I loved the scene with Murderbot and the humans working together on that….project? Yes, we’ll say the project to avoid spoilers. It was a unique scene and way to handle things.

I think that for me it would have been better to read this one, the novella worked well in audio, but this one, even if not long. My mind drifted somewhat. Sci.fi is hard in audio. Lots of tech talk.

TBH I might start reading more instead of audio. Don’t get me wrong…the narrator is great….but I think SciFi is easier to read.

Sci fi can be hard to read, but in audio it is worse. Yeah def reading next time. The voice of the narrator was so weird to hear too. Like not at all how I pictured Murderbot .

I’ve done some of the story with the narrator and he’s good, but not the Murderbot I hear in my head.

Sorry, but not my Murderbot. Funny how that works.

Agreed. So I’ve done some in ebook and some in audio…I think going forward I may stick to the ebook.

There are sure to be more, so I will stick to that too.

There better be more!!!!!!! The way everything was left….there are so many questions I have.

Maybe a novella, and then a book again?

That seems to be the formula. I hope for a novella.

Same :)

But yes. I did enjoy this. The beginning was rough to get into, but I am excited for more.

I liked it, but I liked the novella more. And I look forward to more

Agreed! Love you Murderbot and ART!!!!

The end?

Yesss ma’am!

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging for a long while now. For the last few years the epic duo has been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.

Tuesday 6 February 2024

TMST

2/6/2024 What's the last book you re-read? Did you like as much as the first read?

That would be *drumroll* Last Dragon standing by Rachel Aaron!! Surprise!

And hell yeah. I always do! Damn I love these books

2/13/2024 Share your romance (HEA/HFN) recommendations.

2/20/2024 What is your favorite type of candy?

2/27/2024 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Spring? (Mar-May)

Monday 5 February 2024

Carole´s Monday: Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock star

Author: Heather Lynn Rigaud

Title: Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Retelling, New Adult

Format: ebook

Pages: 432

Published: August 31, 2011

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Barnes & Nobles)

Summary:

"Darcy's as hot as he is talented..."

Fast music, powerful beats, and wild reputations-on and off stage-have made virtuoso guitarist Fitzwilliam Darcy's band into rock's newest bad boys. But they've lost their latest opening act, and their red-hot summer tour is on the fast track to disaster. Now Darcy and bandmates Charles Bingley and Richard Fitzwilliam are about to meet their match...

"But she's about to rock his world..."

Enter Elizabeth Bennet, fiercely independent star of girl-band Long Borne Suffering. Elizabeth, her sister Jane, and friend Charlotte Lucas have talent to spare and jump at the opening band slot. Elizabeth is sure she's seen the worst the music industry has to offer. But as the days and nights heat up, it becomes clear that everyone is in for a summer to remember.

Review:

Been meaning to read this for a long, long, looooooooooong time. Finally decided to bite the bullet and use a B&N gift card I was given for Xmas to buy it. I bought this and two other books. Fun timessssss!

Okay - here we have our beloved cast rocking the contemporary world in the music industry. Darcy, Charles, and Richard are the music industry's bad boys. Their summer tour is on the fast track to being derailed....they lost yet another opening act. They turn to an unknown band called Long Borne Suffering. Where we find Elizabeth, Jane, and Charlotte trying to make it. Together these two bands will make one heck of a tour, but the stage is not the only thing heating up.

FIRST! I have to say...I totally ship Charlotte and Richard. Have I read this coupling before? Can Charlotte PLEASE leave Collins for Richard? Damn. I love them. However, their road is not easy here.

Of course Charles and Jane hook up. And then EVENTUALLY Darcy and Lizzy. It takes FOREVER and even when they do drama ensues.

Lots of drama here and lots of music. Also....lots and lots of smexy time. Dare I say.....too much smexy time? It was slightly obnoxious and for sure slowed the story down. Honestly - I think the author could've cut nearly 100 pages. Yes, I get we have three couples and whatnot but it felt like we were catching every single time they were making the beast with two backs. It got old and I'll admit...I skimmed after a while. Now - it's not like it was just a page of the exercise each time....sometimes it would be PAGES. Ugh. Smexy time is great and all but give me the drama.

Oooo Wickham and Collins certainly were extra bad here and I was here for it. They are evil and bad and terrible. Yayy!

But yes, this was entertaining and very dramatic. Sometimes a hair too much but it was entertaining. And seems legit for artists....they tend to be ones with the flair for dramatics.

All-in-all, not too shabby for a P&P variation. It actually made me a Charlotte/Richard shipper! They deserve all the love. I'll give this 3 stars.